![The Brightest SunScreen[Courtesy HKIFF]](https://d1nslcd7m2225b.cloudfront.net/Pictures/274x183/3/5/0/1448350_thebrightestsunscreencourtesyhkiff_312678.jpg)
Small MPU – Page 79
-
Features
The Binger Filmlab - 'Youth is our main focus'
In the heart of Amsterdam, the Dutch Ministry of Education, Culture and Science-backed Binger Filmlab is doing its part to help 'quality' films along, both from the Netherlands and internationally.The Binger Filmlab, which turned 10 last year, runs two five-month intensive coaching programmes a year, one for 10 directors heading ...
-
Features
Netherlands Production - In search of Dutch masters
From the outside, it looks as if these are boom times for Dutch production. Paul Verhoeven's Black Book, released in the Netherlands by A-Film in the autumn, is closing in on a million admissions at home and has been sold around the world by London-based sales agent ContentFilm International. Oscar ...
-
Features
Analysis: International box-office Weekend January 12-14 - Happyness pursues Museum
Family extravaganza Night At The Museum continues to be an international crowd pleaser, passing the $150m mark in 39 territories and grossing more than $20m in its fourth weekend to remain rooted to the top spot. Inspirational bio-drama The Pursuit Of Happyness, starring Will Smith, was this weekend's highest new ...
-
Features
Worldwide - Fight for share
There is something innately arcane about market share statistics and yet they are a ferocious obsession for players in the film industry. Pies and graphs breaking down revenues in North America and in key international territories are not uncommon. But judging market share for the entire international market with a ...
-
Features
Market focus: home entertainment - On-demand services set to soar
Some 435 million homes will have video on demand (VoD) or Near VoD (NVoD) services by 2011, according to a report from technology analysts Informa. The forecast predicts that VoD and NVoD's reach (to an equivalent of 38% of the world's TV households) will create revenues of $11.4bn.The report argues ...
-
Features
An enemy at the gates'
YouTube, friend or foe'" asked The New York Times this week. It is a question the film industry has been asking ever since YouTube and other user-content aggregators started taking off - and with good reason.Firstly, much of the content of this new wave is less user-generated than user-procured - ...
-
News
Universal picks up North American rights to Dororo
Universal Pictures has bought North American rights to TBS' period action-fantasy Dororo which has already sold to 20 countries throughout Asia and Europe. The film is based on a manga created by Osamu Tezuka (Astro Boy) in the 1960s, which went on to become a famous animated TV series. The ...
-
News
Easternlight picks up worldwide rights to Fatal Contact
Arclight Films' Asia-focused label Easternlight has picked up worldwide rights to Hong Kong action film Fatal Contact, which stars wushu champion and up-and-coming action star Wu Jing. Wu, who trained at the same Beijing martial arts school as Jet Li, most recently drew notice for his role as a cold-blooded ...
-
News
Discovery steps In The Shadow Of The Moon
Discovery Communications and its Discovery Films unit have acquired rights to London-based DOX Production's and Passion Films' In The Shadow Of The Moon, set to get its world premiere here today (Friday).Discovery Films, the theatrical documentary unit of DCI, will take an equity interest in North American theatrical distribution, branding ...
-
News
Eight major territories, led by Italy, show box-office increases this week
Eight major territories collectively saw box-office increases compared to the same week last year, due to the success of big-name studio films this week, according to Screen International's own Screen Index. Italy leads the increase - the territory was up 43% after The Pursuit Of Happyness grossed $4.7m in its ...
-
News
Barroso, Hayek to fly with Butterflies
Up-and-coming Spanish director Mariano Barroso has reportedly been signed on by MGM and Showtime to shoot his first English-language film, In The Time Of The Butterflies, with actress Salma Hayek in the lead.Showtime and MGM are co-producing the $10m project, which is scheduled to start production in Mexico in September. ...
-
News
Greengrass to direct Iraq story Imperial Life for Working Title
Paul Greengrass has signed on to direct the adaptation of Rajiv Chandrasekaran's Imperial Life In The Emerald City for Working Title and Universal. Lloyd Levin, who also worked with Greengrass and Working Title on United 93, will produce with Working Title's Tim Bevan and Eric Fellner. Universal will distribute worldwide. ...
-
News
Anaphylaxis starts shooting at Ealing Studios
Filmart productions started its six-week shoot for Anaphylaxis! at London's Ealing Studios on Jan 8. The low-budget feature is the first on Filmart's slate. Ayman Farahat is writing, directing and producing. The cast is led by Guy Defferary and Katia Winter. The story follows a pathologist, who is allergic to ...
-
News
Posner launches YaYa! Films in Spain
Enrique Posner, former general manager of Warner Bros in Spain, has set up new production outfit YaYa! Films with three feature films in the works. Posner is currently executive producing 3D animated feature The Missing Lynx, with Manuel Cristobal of Perro Verde Films and Granada-based Kandor Graphics. The $10.4m (Euros ...
-
News
French DVD sales saw 2006 slide
France's video publishers union (SEV) says piracy played a big role in the fall in sales of DVDs last year. Although no dollar values were given in the initial report on last year, the SEV says 2006 saw a drop in sales in DVD sales in France of roughly 7% ...
-
News
Rings producer Osborne signs up for Kiwi racing driver biopic
Barrie M. Osborne has signed up as producer of the planned biopic of New Zealand Formula One racing driver Bruce McLaren.Osborne, whose credits include the Lord Of The Rings trilogy and The Matrix, will work alongside co-producer and motor racing fanatic Michael Garlick, for whom the project has been a ...
-
News
Belgian film fund reports 18 film investment
Belgian media fund Motion Investment Group (MIG) raised $21.4m (Euros $16.5m) for 18 films in 2006, making it the country's biggest source of film finance.The company's end-of-year report shows MIG backed 13 features, four television productions and a documentary.Added to its foundation year of 2005, the company has now raised ...
-
News
New Prescience venture aims to raise $10m
A new UK Enterprise Investment Scheme venture from Prescience Film Finance and tax specialist Chancery aims to raise around $10m (£5m) for UK film and television productions.Prescience Pictures' initial projects include a Bruce Beresford-directed film version of Oscar Wilde's A Woman of No Importance, to star Lindsay Lohan and to ...
-
News
Grave Decisions and Four Minutes top Bavarian awards
Marcus H. Rosenmueller's Bavariancomedy Grave Decisions and Chris Kraus' prison drama Four Minutes werethe big winners at the weekend's Bavarian Film Awards in Munich. This year's top honour, the $260,000 (Euros200,000) Producers Award, went to Roxy Film, the producers of 2006'sbest film Grave Decisions, while feature debutant Rosenmueller - whosesecond ...
-
Reviews
The Hitcher
Dir: Dave Meyers. US. 2007. 84mins.The recent assembly-line remaking of recognisable horror titles continues with The Hitcher, a dreary updating of the 1986 Rutger Hauer serial-killer hitchhiker thriller, which disregards character empathy in the pursuit of perfunctory scares. Produced by (among others) Michael Bay, this new version of The Hitcher ...